Role Of Stress In Illness Flashcards
What is a cardiovascular disorder (CVD)?
Any disorder of the heart and circulatory system (eg. Coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, or strokes)
How can stress contribute to CVDs?
It activates the sympathetic nervous system leading to production of adrenaline which increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels increasing blood pressure, and increases pressure dislodging plaque on the walls.
What did Wilbert-Lampen eat al (2008) investigate?
How did they do this?
What were the findings?
Whether stress is links to CVDs.
Looked at frequency of heart attacks during football matches
Cardiac emergencies increased by 2.66 times showing sudden emotional arousal was deemed an acute stressor
What did Yusuf et al (2004) find?
Workplace stress and stressful life events have a greater contribution to
CVDs than obesity
What is the immune system?
The defensive barrier against invading germs and other foreign bodies (pathogens and antigens)
How can stress affect the immune system directly?
The HPA system produces cortisol which reduces the body’s immune system response (immunosuppression). Means immune system is less able to fight off potentially harmful viruses, bacteria and other pathogens
How can stress affect the immune system indirectly?
When people are stressed they are more likely to engage in behaviours that have a negative impact on immune system functioning, such as smoking, drinking alcohol or eating unhealthy food
What did Kiecolt-Glaser et al (1984) investigate?
How did they do this?
What were the findings?
Whether the stress of important exams had an impact on immune system functioning
Took blood samples for medical students a month before the exams (low stress condition) and the day of the exams (high stress condition). Also got them to measure other life stressors they were experiencing and complete a loneliness scale
Found immune system functioning was reduced following the stressful exam and immune systems were especially weak in those experiencing other stressful events and were lonely
What did Kiecolt-Glaser et al (1991) do?
What were the findings?
Compared immune system of caregivers and matched group of non-caregivers
Caregivers and a weaker cell-based immune response, infectious illnesses on more days, and higher levels of depression (32% with clinical depression compared to 6% in control)
What is the strength of the role of stress in illness?
Many potential practical applications and real-world benefits such as research into acute stressors increasing immune functioning eventually leading to patients being given low doses of stress hormones before surgery which could enhance their chances of making a full and fast recovery
What are the limitations of the role of stress in illness?
1) there is challenging evidence as Segerstrom & Miller (2004) conducted a metal analysis of 300 studies and found different stressors have different effects (acute can increase immune system functioning)
2) does not consider individual differences like gender or age meaning it is not possible to generalise
3) limited cause and effect as health is influenced by many factors
